


the blueprint had no art

by Hokuto



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Felix | Isaac Gates Being a Dick, M/M, Nonnies Made Me Do It, Prompt Fic, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 11:05:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hokuto/pseuds/Hokuto
Summary: They had only talked about it once, in the war.





	the blueprint had no art

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I don't even ship it in a soulmates way, but the lure of doing a "last words" soulmate mark AU with these particular last words was just too strong. Title from the song "Architect of Love" by New Young Pony Club.

They had only talked about it once, in the war. They'd had the showers to themselves after a patrol that had gone badly, and once the worst of the blood had been washed away, Gates had insisted on his usual method of blowing off steam. Ortez had been tired but still tense enough to go along with him without resistance; afterwards, as Ortez had begun the process of cleaning up all over again, Gates said abruptly, "So, marks. You know mine, right?"

Everyone in the unit knew Gates's mark, stamped across his right forearm in heavy black letters that he did nothing to conceal. "Yes."

"And hate to break it to you, but I've seen yours."

Ortez wasn't surprised. He took pains to keep his mark hidden, but Gates spent too much time touching his neck and teasing his hair not to have discovered the thorny words wrapped low around the base of his throat.

"If you had to guess, mine doesn't sound like anything you'd say, does it? Like, ever?"

"No." It sounded more like Gates, if anyone.

"Great. I figured. So that's settled." Gates stole the shampoo and started lathering his half-buzzed hair. "Not a match. My soulmate's almost certainly myself, naturally, because who else can handle this much handsome, and yours is some alien general or crime boss or something. Tough break, buddy, but at least you get to go out like a hero. Probably. This? This is just some fun along the way. Nothing serious. Okay? You get it?"

He did, though he couldn't untangle a reason for the twist in his stomach at Gates's dismissiveness. Relief? Disappointment? Or only delayed exhaustion and stress from the ambush catching up to him? "Understood."

"Good, good. Honestly, it's better like this, right? Who wants to freak out every time your soulmate says, 'Bye, honey, walking the dog,' or 'Sure, I'll get milk on the way home,' or some other boring shit? No, thanks. This way, we just do what we want, never worry, and die doing something badass. Well, I will, anyway. You might get shot in the head, which is kind of -"

"Shut up."

The subject had never come up between them again. If Gates bantered or fought with other soldiers over his mark, it was never brought to Ortez's attention; if Felix talked about it with Siris, he did so without Locus present. The brief conversation faded to the back of his mind along with so many other useless, distracting memories, never called upon or needed.

It was only two days after the fight at the communications tower and his flight from Chorus that Locus took off his helmet, loosened the undersuit, and caught sight of his bared neck reflected in the stolen ship's polished bulkhead. Traced the words _Then you can die with the rest of them_ there, still dark and clear, and remembered others, unseen for years under armor: _I'm doing this for me._ Words they had never worried about; words they had forgotten to fear.

If that one conversation hadn't been the end. If either of them had been brave enough, had cared enough...

But if they had, those words wouldn't have been theirs.


End file.
